Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

VIENNA 407

THE CLIMATE OF

VIENNA

Summers (May–August)

in Vienna are warm but

not too hot with average

temperatures of 25° C

(77° F) between June

and August. Spring

(March–April) and autumn

(September–October) are

very pleasant. Winters

(November–March) are very

cold with regular snow.

Temperatures usually dip

to as low as -4° C (25° F).

FOOD AND DRINK

Austria is justly famous for its
cakes and pastries. Visitors
should try the buttery advent
stollen (Christmas cake),
stuffed with fruit and nuts and
dusted with icing sugar, avail-
able from the Meinl am Graben
delicatessen. Specialist choco-
late shops such as Altmann &
Kühne are also worth a visit,
both for the chocolates and
their unusual packaging.

SOUVENIRS

Petit-point embroidery, which
adorns elegant handbags,
powder com pacts and similar
articles, is a Viennese speci-
ality. A wide range of these
goods is avail able at Petit
Point and Maria Stransky.
Trachten (Austrian costumes)
shops sell typical hats,
pretty chil dren’s dresses,
jack ets and blouses. Rasper
& Söhne is the best place
for glassware.

23 /74

15 /59 14 /57

1 /34

6 /43

-4/25

15 /59

7 /45

45

mm

84

mm

56

mm

39

mm

Shopping & Entertainment

Shopping in Vienna can be expensive, but it is a good
place to buy traditional goods such as Loden coats,
porcelain and glass. Famous for its coffee shops,
Christmas markets, world-class opera and orches tras,
Vienna is also the centre of enter tainment in Austria.

DIRECTORY

FOOD AND DRINK

Altmann & Kühne

Tel (01) 533 0927.

http://www.feinspitz.com

Meinl am Graben

Tel (01) 532 3334.

http://www.meinlamgraben.at

SOUVENIRS

Maria Stransky

Tel (01) 533 6098.

http://www.maria-stransky.at

Petit Point

Tel (01) 512 4886.

Rasper & Söhne

Tel (01) 534 33.

THEATRE AND MUSIC

Burgtheater

http://www.burgtheater.at

Konzerthaus

http://www.konzerthaus.at

Musikverein

http://www.musikverein.at

Staatsoper

http://www.staatsoper.at

Theater an der Wien

http://www.theater-wien.at

Vienna Festival

http://www.festwochen.at

Volkstheater

http://www.volkstheater.at

THEATRE AND MUSIC

Viennese theatre enjoys a high

reputation and the Burgtheater

(see p404) is the city’s leading

venue. The Volkstheater puts

on mod ern plays while the

Theater an der Wien produces

lavish musicals.

At the Staatsoper (see

p404), operas are normally

performed in the original

language whereas at most

other theatres, they are sung

in German. The princi pal

venues for classical music are

the Musikverein and the con-

cert halls of Konzerthaus.

The city supports two great

orches tras, the Wiener

Philharmoniker and the Wiener

Symphoniker. Seasonal events

include the Vienna Festival in

May and June, and the

Klangbogen Wien in July and

August, held at the Theater an

der Wien. Seasonal opera,

drama and concert perform-

ances take place throughout

the city in late July and August.

ARRIVING BY COACH

International coach services

arrive at Busterminal Erdberg

RAIL TRAVEL

Vienna’s most important train
stations for international travel
are Westbahnhof, which serves
Western European des tina tions,
and Südbahnof which serves
destinations to the east.
Südbahnof will be part ially
closed for long-term reno-
vation, during which Wien-
Meidling Station in the west of
the city will handle a large
proportion of interna tional

monthApr Jul Oct Jan

6

hrs

9

hrs

4

hrs

2

hrs

VIENNA

trains. Information about train

schedules are avail able on the

official website.

in the east of the city, right

beside the U3 Erdberg

underground station. The Old

Town is a short six-stop

journey from here. Eurolines

operates daily services from

Busterminal Erdberg to most

Eastern European cities.

Delta Airlines from New York
and Orlando. Austrian
Airlines flies from New York,
Chicago and Washington,
while Lauda Air operates from
Miami. There are sev eral
flights a day from Gatwick
and Heathrow air ports in
London. British Airways and
RyanAir also offer regular
flights to Vienna.

° C/F

0°C

32°F